Trouble in Paradise
by DaddyCameHome
Summary: It's the first day of summer in the Orange Islands. A huge Pokemon Invitational Tournament for the best young trainers in the world is being held for the very first time, and a certain Boy and his Pikachu have been invited. Now a very successful trainer, Ash and his travelling companions Brock, Paul and Gary set sail for the Orange Islands, and the biggest summer of their lives!
1. Welcome to Paradise

The warm ocean lapped across the huge bow of the long white cruise liner as it pushed its way through the waves. Far in the distance, their was the most faint glimpse of land on the golden horizon. Straining his eyes from the railing of the main deck, Ash Ketchum looked out over the water. His loyal friend Pikachu sat on his shoulder happily. The sun was rising above the water, blinding them with a shower of light. Ash munched on a piece of toast, occasionally offering Pikachu a bite. At 18, Ash had changed a lot since his last adventure travelling through the Sinnoh Region with Dawn and Brock. After losing to Tobias in the Lily of the Valley Conference, he spent an entire year training with Cynthia at her holiday home in Undella Town, in the Unova Region. He returned to Kanto as a man, not only physically much stronger and muscular but mentally mature. Pikachu took the last bite of toast, and Ash brushed off the the crumbs from his black shirt. He returned to the top deck of the ship, Pikachu bouncing ahead up the long staircase. Sitting at a table inside the viewing deck, Ash found his latest travelling companions, gingerly eating their own breakfasts. Three of them sat at the table. Brock was his usual self, perfectly content, twirling a strip of bacon around his fork. He smiled his trademark friendly smile as he saw the familiar mop of jet black hair that could only belong to his best friend. Beside him sat two very sour looking young men. Gary Oak, Ash's childhood rival and now good friend sat with grimace on his face as he lifted a glass of orange juice to his mouth. He nodded as Ash joined the table, sitting opposite him. Behind a pair of dark wayfarer sunglasses, Ash's newest companion Paul Shinji raised an eyebrow. He sat with both elbows on the table, propping up his head with his right fist. His head hung lazily, staring at a half eaten hash brown. To celebrate their last night on the cruise ship, the four of them had decided to visit the bar on the main deck. Things quickly got out of hand and before they knew it, the bar had closed and the boys shuffled off to their bedrooms. Ash and Brock were both fine, but Paul and Gary had gotten very busy at the minibar once they returned to the room. As a result, they now sat very quietly eating their breakfast, no doubt with splitting headaches. Out of courtesy, Ash and Brock continued with their meals in silence.

As the sweltering sun sat high in the sky, it beat down on the wooden pier. Passengers flowed off of the ship for the last time. The beautiful Porta Vista had put on a great show for the first wave of tourists. The golden beach was a perfect crescent, and mere metres from the sand, stunning hotels soared into the sky, creating an amazing environment of manmade and natural beauty. The quiet island city which normally had a population of under 200,000, suddenly sprung into life as it did every summer, the streets teeming with tourists from across the globe. Beyond the hotels, the city stretches and fades into the jungle, disappearing at the foot of the extinct volcano, Mt Royale. Lush tropical forest creates a contrast with the city skyline, and palm trees stick out from in between every building.

"Take a left here... I think..."

Ash sheepishly looked at the map, then at Pikachu, then back up at his companions. He could see Paul and Gary simultaneously rolled their eyes at him behind their sunglasses. Luckily before either of them could snatch the map out of his hands, Brock yelled out from across the street.

"I found it!"

Ash beamed as he turned to his left and strolled over to where Brock was standing. The other two followed closely behind with mild surprise on their faces. Lugging their suitcases behind them, the four boys were greated by a friendly Machamp, wearing a floral shirt with four arm holes. He picked up all four suitcases with his muscular arms, and proceeded to usher them to a flight of stairs behind him. At the foot of the stairs, a middle aged man in a floral shirt and red bow tie with an equally friendly smile thanked his Pokemon for getting the bags and turned to address the four boys.

"Welcome to the Outcast Hotel boys! Machamp will take your bags up to your room, will you be checking in right now?"

"If our room is ready, that would be great!" Ash grinned.

"It is ready and waiting for you, i'll lead you to reception."

The man bowed and took the group up the flight of stairs behind him. The stairs led to a sizeable lobby that was opened up to allow the cool gentle breeze in. Their was plenty of furniture, people waiting for elevators and a rather long line forming by the check-in desks. The man proceeded to take the boys to the front of the queue. A young woman smiled from behind the reception desk as they approached. "She's very attractive," Ash thought to himself as he politely smiled back at the lady. She had a bright white smile which boasted perfect teeth and medium length brow hair that waved down to her shoulders. She had a pretty white flower in her hair. As he approached the desk, he couldn't help but look over and stare at her rather obvious cleavage. She sat looking at her computer screen while Ash continued to stare. When she looked up at him to tell him about the room, she caught his gaze and gave a seductive smile. The rest of the boys noticed this, and looked on as she seemingly ignored the rest of them and spoke only to Ash. She handed him four key cards to the room, one for each of them, and pointed them in the direction of the elevators.

"It's a pleasure to have you staying with us gentlemen." She turned to acknowledge the rest of the group. "Have a pleasant stay and good luck for the tournament." She gave him another sexy smile, and returned to her work. Ash glimpsed a name badge as the boys turned to leave.

"Thank you Melanie." He smiled politely. She winked at him.

"You're very welcome." And with a cheeky smirk she went back to work.

The boys entered the elevator. Brock was the only one who had paid any attention to what Melanie had told them, and reached down to the press the button for the floor that they were on. Before the doors had even closed, however, Gary was ripping into Ash for flirting with her.

"She winked at you!" He roared with laughter. Paul had a smirk on his face in the corner, and even Brock chuckled. Ash grinned and decided to give some fight back.

"What can I say Gary, the bitches love me." He winked at Gary, who proceeded to roar with more laughter. Ash shrugged and looked down at the floor with the trademark Ash grin on his face, when he glanced and noticed where they were going.

"Penthouse?" Paul and Gary both stopped their laughing immediately and looked. It was now Brock's turn to laugh.

"Were any of you listening? Or were you all staring at her tits!"

"I'm surprised you weren't Brock!" Paul piped up, and another round of laughs erupted through the elevator. As it died down, soft elevator music played as the boys stood in silence.

"So.." Said Ash, in a serious manner, "are we really in the Penthouse Suite?"

Brock nodded. "We sure are, they upgraded us as soon as I told them the reservation names."

Ash, Paul and Gary all grinned as soon as Brock finished his sentence.

"Proper celebrities now aren't we?" Smirked Paul in his sarcastic tone.

"It's about time!" Grinned Gary. "The recognition I deserve!" The rest of them continued to listen to Gary's spew of self-appreciation until the door of the Elevator opened to reveal a large black double door at the end of a small foyer. In silence, Brock took the keycard and swung open the door. The boys jaws dropped.


	2. Brock's Big Secret

Gary Oak walked into the middle of the room.

"Get the fuck out of here..." He said, disbelief in his voice.

The boys' penthouse suite was magnificent. Where Gary stood, in the centre of the lounge, a stunning glass chandelier glimmered as it hung from the high ceiling directly above his head. Ash, Brock and Paul walked through the front door to where Gary was stood. To their right was a large kitchen with an island counter in the middle. The surface was made from a thick slab of deep obsidian marble. Paul and Brock, who both enjoyed cooking, went directly to investigate the kitchen. From the lounge Ash and Gary could hear them chatting away excitedly to each other about the state-of-the-art grill and the finish on the cabinets. They grinned at each other and went through the hallway to their left, which led to a few different bedrooms. All had ensuite bathrooms. The boys excitedly ran through the hallway, inspecting the different rooms. Pikachu looked around his new environment with excitement, and bounced off of Ash's shoulder onto the ground to explore.

Both boys entered the hallway at the same time from different rooms, and exchanged more grins. "It's strange," Ash thought to himself as he studied his former nemesis. "Who would have thought we would ever get along." While him and Gary were still highly competitive, Paul added another layer of competition to their group which made things very interesting on their recent bonding trips. It was certain that without Brock, the three of them would not have made it this far together as a group. Too many ego's. Despite this, as a unit the boys were a force to be reckoned with, and as time had passed traveling together the past few weeks they had all began to get along better. Gary was still the same old Gary. Highly arrogant, yet talented in battle and confident with everything he did. His chiselled jaw, messy chestnut hair, dark wayfarer sunglasses and casual yet stylish sense of fashion made him a huge hit with the girls they had encountered along the way. Ash too was rather good-looking nowadays; he had grown so much since he left Kalos to train with Cynthia. His messy raven hair was now much longer, and even more rugged, but he now had rather sculptured facial features and a muscular physique, although he didn't realize how attractive he had become. His time recently with Gary had awoken his sense of fashion, and he had splashed out on some slightly more stylish clothing for this trip. Even Paul and Brock, both rather reserved and mature (except around girls, in Brock's case), had updated their wardrobes for the summer. As a group, their notoriety as Pokemon League Winner's (and Brock as one of the world's best young Pokemon Doctor) meant they drew attention wherever they went.

The first few days flew past incredibly quickly. The island of Porta Vista was a tropical paradise, with so many things to see and do that the four boys had barely ventured outside the district built along the beach, let alone the rest of the island. They had eaten at the same cafe every morning, gone shopping, gone to the beach, relaxed and swam for hours in their rooftop pool, wandered the beautiful city boardwalk, even spent an entire day in a spectacular bar that was built into the sand of the beach. It was at some point during that day that Ash, Paul, Gary and Brock decided to go to the local golf course and try their best to play an entire game. None of them had ever played golf before, but they all agreed it would be a hilariously fun idea to give it a shot. The very next day, they had breakfast at their regular cafe, the Oyster, and set out for the golf course. Dressed in their dorky golf clothes and white visor hats, the boys hired some clubs and a golf-kart. To avoid any dangerous driving and serious accidents, it was decided that Brock would be the only person to drive the kart. They glided past the perfectly manicured gardens to tee off for the first hole. After a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors, Gary was the first person to step up. He lined up his shot, raised the driver over his shoulder with confidence and determination, and swung with ferocity. His club and the ball connected with a "thwack!". The rest of the boys laughed with relief as the ball sailed well left of the fairway and deep into the rough, dangerously close to the jungle at the edge of the course.

The day went on rather slowly, as golf does. Pikachu wrote down the scores to make sure there could be no cheating. At the end of the 18th hole, Gary sunk his ball with a triple bogey to finish. They trudged back to the clubhouse to return their gear, while Brock the winner of the day took the golf-kart back. When they met back up outside, Brock was looking very pleased with himself.

"I have an announcement to make boys." He beamed.

Ash, Gary and Paul all groaned simultaneously. They knew what this was going to be about. Some sort of victory gloat.

"I've been meaning to tell you for a long time, I just hadn't gotten around to it."

Ash raised an eyebrow, and looked at Paul and Gary. They looked back with confused expressions; even Pikachu joined in.

"I'm getting married."

"WHAT?!" Ash could not process what he just heard.

All three of the boys and Pikachu look back and forwards at each other, unsure how to respond. Ash was stunned. His best friend, and travelling partner of many years was finally settling down. A huge smile erupted onto his face and he leapt over to embrace Brock.

"Congratulations buddy."

"Thank you Ash, i'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier it's just, I didn't feel the timing was right. You'll be best man of course."

Ash beamed, his excitement went into overdrive. Gary leapt up to hug Brock.

"That's amazing news! Congratulations!" Grinned Gary, as he shook Brock's hand

"I know I might be ruining a moment here.." Said Paul, as he stood and watched Ash, Gary and Pikachu release Brock from their hugs. "I haven't known you that long man, who are you marrying?"

Brock only laughed. "Her name is Lucy. She's a frontier brain, an amazing trainer. Me and Ash met her many years ago on our travels, and I instantly fell in love. Then, while I was studying to become a doctor, I bumped into her again at a conference. We've been dating for 5 years now, I thought it was about time." He grinned broadly.

Paul smiled, and stretched out his arm to shake Brock's hand, but Brock pulled him in and gave him a big tight hug. Gary, Ash and Pikachu joined in the hug, and the small group of boys began to jump up and down and cheer, making a lot of noise and drawing a lot of attention from onlookers.

"Brock is getting married." Thought Ash to himself. A single tear of happiness rolled down his cheek.


	3. Trouble

A warm evening sunset illuminated the streets and sidewalks of the Porto Vista main street. Palm tree's dotted the sidewalks and extended high into the air amongst the vast hotels, acclaimed restaurants and massive department stores that made up the city skyline. Brock, Gary, Paul, Ash and Pikachu were lazily strolling down the road, trying to pick a restaurant to eat at for dinner. The conversation was, of course, all about the wedding.

"So have you set a date?" Asked Ash, both hands in his pockets as he lazily dragged one foot in front of the other.

"We have! It's the last day of summer, three days after the tournament ends."

"What about a venue?"

"It's going to be right here in Porta Vista, at a quiet resort on the other side of the island."

"That sounds amazing Brock, i'm so excited!"

The other boys and Pikachu nodded in agreement.

Paul picked out a Sushi place that he had heard his brother mention. The group waited for a table for a few minutes, enjoying the final warmth of the days' sun, before being led through the restaurant and sat at a table in the corner of the room, beside a large oil painting of a Gyrados. A mirror beside the table gave a clear view of the street. The boys ordered their food. Ash stared out the window, watching hundreds upon hundreds of people walking past, many with a variety of bulging shopping bags from all of the designer stores up and down the main street. As Gary and Paul discussed with Brock their 6-Pokemon teams they were going to enter for the tournament, Ash continued to watch out the window. Normally, he would be passionately telling his friends all about the Pokemon he was considering using, but something had caught his eye across the street. Two men on black motorcycles, dressed entirely in black jumpsuits, with their helmets still on and the visor's down had just pulled up and ran inside the Ancient Pokemon Museum. Alarmed, Ash stood up, clicking his fingers for Pikachu to abandon his meal and follow.

"I just saw something across the street, looks like trouble." He told his confused friends. "I'll be back soon. Come on Pikachu, lets go." He ran out of the restaurant, Pikachu hot on his heels.

Only seconds passed while the group processed what Ash had just said before Brock, Gary and Paul all stood up and hurried to follow Ash outside. Brock had to quickly explain to their waitress that they "would be right back," before running out the door to catch up with the others.

Outside, Ash had just arrived on the opposite side of the road from the museum when the two men rushed out of the building. Each man now had a Pokemon beside them; A rather large, aggressive looking Mightyena, and a Houndoom with huge menacing horns and a scary look in it's eye's. One of the men was carrying something in a small white box, about the size of a shoebox. They looked at Ash across the street. Another man, flustered and panting, ran out of the Museum.

"Stop them!" He yelled at Ash with a desperate tone. The Mightyena barked wildly, making the man flinch and recoil. Ash had seen enough.

"Pikachu!" He shouted, and readied himself for a battle. The two men in black both looked at each other, then sent forth their own Pokemon to attack. The Mightyena leapt forward immediately without instruction, teeth bared. He moved towards Pikachu with good speed, but the electric type was much quicker. "Quick buddy, Thunderbolt!" Pikachu did not hesitate for a second, sending a powerful bolt of lightning to meet his charging opponent. The impact of the bolt was considerable, and Mightyena's attack faltered, but now a blast of fire was hurling towards Pikachu, who managed to dodge it thanks to his honed speed and agility. The Houndoom walked over and drew up alongside his teammate, who was now on his feet awaiting instructions. Suddenly, a huge bolt of lightning crashed into the two opponents Pokemon from the left. When the dust cleared, an Electivire stood with his powerful hands pinning down both the Mightyena and the Houndoom. The two men in black looked over in apparent horror as three more young men ran over to where the battle was taking place.

People had fled in horror as the two men and their Pokemon had begun to attack Ash and Pikachu. The street was empty apart from the few people in shops and restaurant windows trying to video the battle. Paul, Gary and Brock arrived outside to see Ash in a 2-on-1 fight with the two men. They watched as Pikachu stopped Mightyena's advance with a thunderbolt and evaded the fire blast from the Houndoom. Paul drew a pokeball from his pocket and threw it towards the fighting, releasing his mighty Electivire.

"Quickly, Wild Charge!" He yelled with urgency, and his Pokemon responded.

The three boys ran to meet Ash as the dust cleared. The men had mounted their vehicles, and withdrawn both Pokemon to their respective pokeballs, intending to flee rather than fight.

"Pikachu! Use Iron tail on their bikes!"

Pikachu nodded with determination and leapt into action, his tail now glowing a metallic silver as he readied his strike. The men had now started their bikes and were about to take off, but it was clear that Pikachu's iron tail would connect before they could get away. As the little electric type came crashing down towards them, the man with the mysterious white box held it above his head. Ash saw this, and realized if Pikachu's attack landed then the box would be destroyed along with the motorcycles. He had no idea what the contents of the box was, but considering it had just been taken from the Ancient Pokemon Museum it was no doubt priceless.

"Wait! Pikachu pull out! Cancel! Cancel!" He yelled desperately.

Pikachu registered just in time and pulled his attack to the right, missing the two men. Paul ordered his Electivire to try and attack without damaging the box, but Electivire simply shook its head. The black motorcycles sped off into the back streets and disappeared. The man from the museum cursed wildly and kicked the street lamp he had been hiding behind. Ash and the other walked over to him.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't stop them.." Ash hung his head with disappointment. He didn't like it when the bad guys got away and he couldn't do anything about it. It felt like his fault.

"Don't worry about it kid." The man brushed himself off. He was tall, a little on the larger side, with a full head of combed black and grey hair despite being at least 60. He was wearing a smart outfit of black pants and a light blue shirt. He straightened up his thick-rimmed glasses. "You did the right thing by not damaging that map."

"Map?" Ash was confused.

"That man was clearly holding a box of some sort, are you sure it was a map?" Added Paul.

"Yes it was definitely a map, I was about to take it to be cleaned when they came. Thats why it was in that little white box; we call that the conservation box. It's airtight and sealed by glass pressed against it. The box is just the cover."

"What kind of map was it?" Gary looked at the man with a curious gaze.

"Funny you ask. It's a very interesting artefact. We aren't even entirely sure it is a map. It was found in a buried cave on Naval Island, right here in the Orange Archipelago. It's actually a dried piece of cloth, stained with a pattern that we believe is a map of a mega-stones from ancient times. However, the map's depiction's are not similar to any of the regions geographically. It may be from a time when the planet looked a lot different than it does today. What those thugs wanted it for, i'll never know. I suppose it would be worth an incredible amount of money, but it would be a very difficult thing to sell on the black market..." The man paused in thought, then sighed. "I'd better ring the police right away, that artefact is incredibly valuable. No time to lose." He straightened up and bowed. "Thank you for your efforts boys. You are heroes." He then proceeded to shake each of their hands before heading back to the museum. "By the way-" he turned to face them once more. "-my name is Mr Davids, I'm the curator of this museum."

"It's a pleasure to meet you sir, my name is Ash, and these are my friends Brock, Gary and Paul."

Mr Davids smiled.

"I've heard those names before. Three fine trainers, and a world class doctor, am I correct?"

The boys all beamed with delight.

"A tad generous Sir, but yes that would be us." Brock replied proudly.

The older man chuckled.

"I'd heard you were in town. Well boys, if there is anything I can ever do for you, you know exactly where to find me." He smiled once more, and strolled off back into the museum.

The boys stood and watched Mr Davids disappear back through the large black door. People were slowly returning to the sidewalks.

"Return Electivire." Paul raised his arm and held out the pokeball, and his Pokemon disappeared in a flash of red light.

"Well done buddy." Ash tickled underneath Pikachu's chin as he perched on his trainer's shoulder.

"Pikaaaa" said Pikachu happily.

The group returned to the restaurant to finish their meal, deep in conversation about the men and the map. They paid the bill, and thanked their waitress before strolling back to the hotel, still discussing the nights events. When they exited the elevator, Ash noticed a small note pinned neatly to the door. It was a plain black card with neat white text. He took the note and read aloud to the curious group.

 _"You should not have interfered in things that you do not understand_

 _Don't do it again_

 _This is your one and only warning"_

The boys stood in silence, stunned by what they had just heard. Ash could not help but feel tense. There was a knot in his stomach. He flipped the card over: there was a logo printed in the middle, one that he knew all too well. The only problem was, he hadn't expected to ever see it again.

"Team Galactic."


	4. Unexpected Arrivals

5 days had passed since the incident, and while it hadn't been totally forgotten about, it was well and truly at the bottom of the agenda. Actually, each of the boys seemed to have different agenda's. Brock was in preparation for his wedding; he had been franticly organising things everywhere he went, with only Ash to help him. Paul was already thinking about the tournament. He had been calling for the boys to start training, but with the wedding to organise it wasn't too important to start training this early. Instead, Paul had been doing his homework, carrying around his Pokedex everywhere they went. In classic Gary Oak style, with everything going on, all he wanted to do was relax and have fun. He had even tried to bring a girl back to their suite, but he was ferociously cock-blocked by Paul kicking her out.

Today was the day that the last cruise-ship would arrive from the Kanto region, and onboard was Brock's family and his Bride-to-be, Lucy, with her family. He had been panicking for the entire day beforehand trying to get things organized, and Ash was helping as best as he could.

"You have to relax."

He told his best friend as they walked to the dock together, dragging Gary and Paul behind them. "Deep breaths. It's natural to be nervous, it's a stressful time."

Brock just nodded and took a few more deep breaths.

The ship came into view as they rounded the corner onto the beachfront. It was even larger than the one they had arrived on. The pearlescent white shimmered as the bright sun reflected off of the beautiful turquoise water in the bay. The boys arrived at the pier, joining the crowds of people no doubt also waiting for loved ones. The ship edged closer to the dock. A cool, gentle breeze blew, keeping them cool. Large waves rolled for what seemed like an eternity across the coral reef in the centre of the bay. Wingull flew high above the huge vessel. The boys stood in the hot summer heat. Brock was dressed in a white linen shirt tucked into blue oxford shorts and a tan pair of boat shoes. Ash stood beside him with a pair of dark wayfarers on, the same jet black colour as his messy hair, which blew gently in the wind. He wore a colourful pair of shorts with a black pair of sneakers and a black t-shirt that was a little bit tighter since he had put on a bit of muscle. Pikachu sat patiently on his shoulder. Behind them, Gary and Paul stood both dressed in shorts and t-shirts like Ash. Paul sipped at a bottle of water, while Gary played with his hair. Suddenly, there was movement on the gangplank and people streamed onto the pier to greet those awaiting them. Brock peered over the crowds, trying to get a glimpse at who was coming off the ship. In a single moment, the crowds seemed to part and Lucy stepped foot on the pier, running towards Brock. He ran to meet her and they embraced. He kissed her and looked at her. Ash could not hear their exchanging of words, but suddenly Brock and Lucy were surrounded by dozens of people, some that he knew to be Brock's family and some which he reasoned must be Lucy's family. He nodded to Gary and Paul to follow him, and walked over to the circle of people.

"Pikaa!" Pikachu shouted out loudly, grabbing the groups attention and waving as Ash strolled over to meet them. "Thanks buddy." He laughed to himself.

"Well well well." Lucy said with a smile on her face. "It's been some time hasn't it Mr Ketchum. My god you've grown." Her eyes looked him up and down. Ash couldn't help but notice her gaze hover over his crotch for a fraction of a second before returning to his face. "You're a man now!" Ash laughed.

"It's good to see you too Lucy."

It was her turn to laugh. "You haven't changed at all on the inside!" She smirked.

"Nice to see you again Ash!" Brock's younger brother Forest held out his arm, and Ash met him with a firm handshake. "Hey there Pikachu!" Pikachu grinned, and stuck out his arm for Forest to shake, which he did with a chuckle.

Brock's mother and father both greeted Ash fondly, while Brock had to introduce Ash to Lucy's parents, before introducing everyone to Gary and Paul.

There was plenty of small talk before Lucy addressed Ash again.

"Ash I really can't believe how much you've grown since we battled. You were only a kid! I suppose I was young too but..." She look at him with fond eyes. "The girls are going to get a hell of a shock, how long has it been since you last saw any of them?"

"About 3 years!" Answered Brock excitedly.

Ash was rather perplexed. "Wait a minute, who are you talking about?"

Brock and Lucy looked at each other, then Brock burst out with laughter.

"I didn't even tell him! I've invited all of our friends to the wedding Ash."

He winked at his best friend, who stood in silence for a few seconds processing. He looked at Gary and Paul, who had the same reaction. Almost on queue, a familiar voice rung out from the gangplank.

"Ash!"

Everyone turned to see who it was that had called out. Standing at the end of the pier, wearing a tiny pair of daisy duke shorts and a white crop top, was a stunning girl with long wavy red hair. It was Misty. Ash's jaw dropped. He hadn't seen her in so long, and she looked incredible. Her whole body was slender, toned and gorgeous from head to toe. Gary and Paul's jaw's both hit the floor too, even though Paul had no idea who she was. But before she had even begun walking towards them, more familiar faces followed. First was May, wearing a very similar outfit to the one she wore travelling with Ash all those years ago, replacing the bandana with a wide brimmed hat. Ash couldn't help but stare at her; she had become very curvaceous indeed, not to mention she was beautiful. Right next to her was Dawn. You couldn't miss that blue hair. She was wearing a white dress that was very, very short, showing off her incredible legs. Ash noticed a guy behind her staring at the back of her dress, which no doubt meant her ass was ever so slightly visible when she took a step. The three girls walked towards them. Each of them seemed to glow.

Gary leaned over to Ash's ear.

"Sweet Arceus in the sky."

Ash grinned. The girls approached the group, all beaming. He met each of their eyes quickly and then spoke up.

"Hello ladies. Long time, no see huh?"

"Hi Ash" they chanted. Misty then spotted Gary and Paul behind him.

"Gary?! Is that you?!" He took off his shades.

"The one and only. You're looking good Misty." He smiled. It was a polite, yet provocative smile.

"Thank's Gary." She smirked back. "You don't look too bad yourself. Who's this?"

"My name is Paul" he stuck out his hand politely. Misty took it and their was a polite yet awkward handshake. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

May then stepped forward.

"We've met before if I recall," greeting Paul with a polite handshake of her own. "Good to see you again."

She turned to Ash, and flung her arms over his shoulder in a big hug. Ash had to fight his very deepest urges not to move his hands from her waist. She released him, and there was blushes from both of them.

"You look so different Ash."

"So do you." They looked each other up and down.

Dawn then pushed them apart, and gave Ash a hug as well. At 6 ft 1, he was certain that Dawn was flashing everyone behind her as she leant onto the tips of her toes to reach up and hug him.

After another awkward hug and some more blushing, she turned to shake Gary's hand. Finally, she turned to Paul.

"I think we may have met before." She said with a heavy sarcastic tone.

"We may have." Paul returned her sarcasm."How did you end up travelling with Ash? Quite a lot of things have changed, haven't they?"

"They sure have.."

Dawn blushed. Brock turned to face everyone.

"I think the perfect place for much needed catchup's is over dinner, how does that sound?" The group voiced their approval, and they departed the pier for the hotel.


	5. Promising Plans

Gary had to be forcibly removed from the master bedroom by Ash and Paul to allow Brock and Lucy to move into the room. Instead, he took over Paul's bedroom, who furiously demanded that he move. Knowing that Gary was the most stubborn person on the planet, besides maybe himself, Ash took one for the team and moved his stuff into the living room, the couch being his new bed. Once the bedding arrangements were sorted, the boys got changed for dinner. The restaurant that Brock had reserved was called the Top of Porta Vista. It was the tallest building in all the Orange Islands, serving primarily as a communications tower, but right at the top was a large, circular rotating restaurant, highly acclaimed and highly exclusive. The line to get in to this place was consistently big, and it was only open on Friday's, Saturday's and Sunday's. Brock had booked nearly 2 months in advance to make sure that they could get a table big enough for their entire group. There was an expected standard of dress, so Ash, Paul and Gary donned their suits before waiting to heading downstairs in the elevator. Brock joined them moments later with Lucy on his arm. She look stunning in a silver gown. Brock was beaming with excitement.

"You guys scrub up pretty well" smirked Brock teasingly. Gary puffed out his chest, and Paul only glared. Ash laughed.

"Don't laugh kid, I was talking to you especially. Nice suit." He winked, and Ash flipped him off.

"Thanks Brock, you don't scrub up bad either. And Lucy, you look fantastic."

"Thank you Ash." She smiled warmly.

Ash adjusted the cufflinks on his suit. It was a charcoal black colour with a white shirt and no tie. Paul and Gary wore the same, white shirts and no tie, in dark navy and grey suits respectively. Gary was wearing his sunglasses.

"Let's go come on." He groaned impatiently, as the doors of the elevator closed.

They all met up in the Lobby. Gary was even more annoyed that they were the first of their party to be ready, because now he had to wait. He had not been in a good mood since being removed from his room. He went to the bar for a drink while the others waited on the couch. While Brock and Lucy sat close and cuddled, Ash and Paul sprawled themselves along the couch.

"Do you wanna cuddle?" Grinned Ash, and he winked.

"Fuck off." Said Paul, which only made Ash laugh more. They sat and watched Brock and Lucy as the couple sat on the couch together, whispering to each other and giggling.

"I know you haven't known Brock that long, so this probably won't mean a lot to you, but I remember when we met her for the first time. I was 10, so Brock would have been around 17? And even then, I knew I had I seen a love-at-first-sight moment..."

Paul looked at the two on the couch. "I'm really happy for him. I wish I could have that." Paul turned and looked Ash in the eyes. "A lot has changed since then Ash. I think tonight will be the night for a lot of reminiscing. It's going to be really interesting, especially for the parts I wasn't around for."

The old rivals sat in silence. "A lot has changed." Agreed Ash to himself.

Finally the elevator doors opened and familiar faces entered the lobby. Gary sauntered over from the bar, drink in hand. He joined Paul and Ash, who had risen from the couch to greet the others. Brock's Parents, Flint and Lola, emerged first, followed by Brock's closest brother Forest. The rest of his brothers had stayed behind to look after the Gym. Following closely behind Brock's family, Lucy's parents strolled together hand in hand. After a minute or two of greetings and small talk, the elevator doors opened again and three gorgeous girls emerged. May, Misty and Dawn seemed to glide gently towards them, each wearing a beautiful gown that hugged their figures. Ash took a moment as they came closer to admire each of them. The girls he had known only a few years ago had grown into woman, and they were all jaw-droppingly stunning. He looked across at his buddies. Paul's eyes were darting between the three girls just as Ash's had been a second ago, while Gary stood stony-faced, his dark sunglasses hiding his eyes as he took another deep gulp of the mysterious liquid in his glass. Ash suddenly felt the urge to calm his nerves with a drink of his own. There was so much sexual tension in the air he could almost touch it. As the girls reached the group there were plenty of polite greetings, before Misty turned to Ash.

"Where's Pikachu Ash?"

"I left him up in the room to hold down the fort." He grinned.

"Awwww I wanted to see him!"

"You can come up to my room tonight and see him if you like..."

Ash's voice trailed off as he realized what that must have sounded like. Misty giggled.

"Maybe Ash." She winked and went to say hello to Brock.

Ash felt a heavy bead of sweat appear on his brow, as if it had formed from the sheer awkwardness, and he continued to greet the others hoping like hell no one had overheard that.

At 8pm, the group exited the hotel and joined what seemed like the rest of the island on the main street of Porta Vista. It was a Friday night, and the sidewalk was packed full of bustling people, either dressed up to go out, covered in sand from the beach, or with arms full of shopping bags. Ash, Brock and Lucy spearheaded the group as they made their way towards the towering restaurant. After a brief walk, the doors of the Top of Porta Vista came in to view. Ash groaned as he noticed the people waiting to get in, from the young trainers to the older vacationers, all stood lined up behind a red velvet rope fence. Ash and the rest of the party stopped, but Brock continued to walk right past the line to the front door. A large, muscular bouncer with a very intimidating face held up his meaty hand to stop Brock. Ash saw him point to something on the bouncer's clipboard, and then turned to face the group, pointing. He blinked as he realized that Brock was pointing directly at him. The bouncer turned his meaty head and looked directly into Ash's eyes. Then he nodded and stood aside, lifting up the velvet rope. Brock beckoned to the group to follow. They sheepishly walked right past the disgruntled people in line, thanking the bouncer before entering the huge glass doors. Ash passed the bouncer last, and thanked him as he walked through. "A pleasure, Mr Ketchum." Confused, he followed the rest of the group in.

After a considerably long elevator ride, the group emerged at the top of the tower. They were met by a man in a crisp white shirt and bowtie. He had a thin wispy mop of hair and a thin wispy moustache to match.

"Welcome to the Top of Porta Vista ladies and gentlemen, it is a pleasure to have you dining with us this evening. My name is Olivier, I will be your waiter. Allow me to show you to your seats."

Olivier bowed, then proceeded to turn on his heel and stride over to the far corner of the room. As the group followed behind him into the main dining area, they all seemingly noticed at once that the view of the city below was moving. They watched in awe as the glow of the skyline drifted further and further to the left, while a new view presented itself slowly from the right. Olivier beckoned them to their table. It was the biggest table in the room, extending so far that people at one end would not be able to hear the person at the other end over the buzz of diners enjoying their meals. The group sat down. Brock and Lucy's families sat at one end, while Brock and Lucy sat together in the middle, leaving the far end for Ash, Paul and the Girls, with Gary on the end. They sat themselves down. Misty sat opposite Brock, Paul sat opposite May, and Ash sat opposite Dawn.

Within moments of sitting them down, Olivier disappeared and reappeared with a huge pile of menu's for the group. "The chef's special tonight is our signature seafood platter, sourced entirely from local fishermen, and may I say ladies and gentlemen, I cannot recommend it highly enough." He almost seemed to shout across the table as he lay a menu down in front of Ash. "I will be back shortly, however feel free to call me to the table once you are ready to order." He bowed and turned smartly on his heel, disappearing in between tables on the far side of the room within seconds. Ash buried his head immediately in the vast menu. Dawn chuckled.

"You've changed a lot Ash, but you still have an appetite don't you!" Ash could only grin. "Oh yes, we are all familiar with Ash's appetite." Misty added with a smirk. Half of the table laughed and nodded in agreement. Ash felt his cheeks begin to turn a slight pink with embarrassment, and he buried his head in the menu once more. After some more small talk, Olivier came around to take orders. He started with Lucy's mother at the far side of the table and worked his way around before coming to Ash.

"And for you sir?"

"Could I please have the chef's special –"

"The seafood platter, excellent choice sir."

" – and the signature ribeye steak."

Olivier raised an eyebrow, perplexed. There were several chuckles from around the table.

"Both, sir? Each of those meals are considerable on their own, the platter is intended to be shared with the table, are you sure?"

"Yes i'm very sure." Ash smiled politely. He was used to this by now.

"Very well sir..." Replied a sheepish Olivier, writing on his notepad.

After Gary had made his order, he asked Olivier if he could bring the barman over. The waiter bowed once more and went to fetch him. Ash looked at his childhood rival. "Hopefully this doesn't get ugly..." He thought to himself. Gary had a tendency to get carried away when he was drinking.

"What can I do for you this evening sir?" The barman had a warm smile, full of white teeth that glowed against his olive skin. Ash couldn't pick his ethnicity, but he had long, jet black hair pulled back in a ponytail.

"How good do you think you are at your job? Said Gary without turning to face the smiling man, who only chuckled.

"I'm pretty good sir."

"In that case -" Gary turned to look up at the bartender and smiled without revealing his teeth. "- I will leave it in your trustworthy hands to surprise me with a drink." The barman grinned.

"Excellent sir." He bowed and headed off to the bar.

As the restaurant turned, the bright city lights of Porta Vista appeared in the windows around the diners. 4 perfect ice-cubes bobbed and clinked in Gary's glass, illuminated a strong blood red colour by its contents. The table was buzzing with conversation. Ash smiled to himself as he listened to Dawn addressing Paul from across the table.

"So Paul, would you like to explain how you ended up friends with Ash Ketchum? Last time I saw you, you were being a little asshole to us!" Ash, Gary, May and Misty laughed, while the rest of the table obliviously carried on with another conversation at the other end. Paul frowned.

"That was a long time ago." He spoke with a firm tone. "A lot has changed since then. I've grown up. And to answer your question -" he jabbed his thumb at Ash. "This idiot invited me to come with him after we bumped into each other in Unova."

"I was about to go home to Kanto when I saw Paul!" Ash explained with a childlike grin, one that all his travelling partners knew too well. "So of course I ran over to say hello. Turns out, we had both matured -"

"Hahahaha!" Gary cackled to himself. "Mature is never a word I would associate with you Ash Ketchum!" The rest of the tabled laughed in agreement.

"- okay we had both mature a little bit. Anyway, the point is that we decided to put aside our previous disagreements and be friends. I ended up persuading him to come home to Pallet Town with me, and thats when Gary joined us!" Ash grinned down the table at Gary.

"Thats another thing i would like explained." Said Misty, looking back and forth at the boys. "You're friends with Gary now?"

"Actually, it was Brock that helped us settle our differences." Said Gary as he sipped at his drink.

Ash nodded. "Brock has helped settle plenty of differences since." They all chuckled.

"He was always good at that.." added Misty.

After an unforgettable meal at the Top of Porta Vista, the group lazily strolled back to their hotel along the boulevard. Wishing goodnight to the rest of the group, Ash and the other boys headed to their suite. Gary was slightly intoxicated, while the others were just tired and stuffed full of delicious food. "I'm exhausted, so i'm gonna hit the hay. See you guys in the morning." Brock yawned, before closing his door behind him. His bedroom light flicked off and it went silent in the suite. Gary was lying on the couch while Ash and Paul made tea.

"I overheard something very interesting tonight." Said Gary suddenly, catching the attention of the other two boys.

Paul frowned, but Ash couldn't help himself. He took the bait.

"What did you hear?"

Gary smirked. "I overheard Lucy talking to the girls on our way back."

Ash was well and truly hooked. "What were they saying?"

"They were planning a Bachelorette Party." Gary looked at the two boys. "Which gave me a good idea…"


	6. It's Complicated

"I think that you should at least tell Brock what your planning before you book anything Gary."

Paul munched on his piece of toast, squinting as the morning sun shone on the group of boys. Ash, Gary and Paul sat on the balcony of their penthouse suite at The Outcast, quietly discussing Gary's plan to throw Brock a Bachelor party while he and Lucy were off on a morning walk.

Ash nodded in agreement, his mouth too full of his breakfast to add anything. Behind his dark shades, Gary sighed.

"Fine. We'll tell him what we are planning. When the girls take Lucy off for their Bachelorette party, we'll tell Brock about our plans. He'll be more likely to agree then."

"I don't think we'll have any problem convincing him, believe me" Ash scoffed. "You don't know Brock as well as I do."

Before long, Brock returned to the apartment with his bride-to-be. Today was Misty's birthday, and to celebrate the group had planned a day trip to San Sebastian, a quiet beach settlement a few miles out of town. Misty, May and Dawn were already milling around in the lobby when Pikachu ran through to greet them excitedly; the boys emerged from their room, sauntering behind Brock and Lucy.

"Morning! Beamed Dawn to the group of boys.

"Morning!" Ash smiled back, before making his way towards Misty. "Happy Birthday Misty!" He leaned in and gave her a big lingering hug. Gary and Paul followed suit, after greeting May and Dawn.

"Okay are we all here? The bus is waiting!" Brock exclaimed, ushering everyone out of the lobby.

The group all clambered onto the bus in single file, each carrying a small backpack with some gear for the day. At the back of the line, Ash saw Gary and Paul sat with each other in the right isle, and just behind them was Brock with Lucy. "Pika…" Pikachu looked at his buddy with concern, as if to say "So where do we sit?"

"Ash! There's a seat here!" Misty was smiling warmly and tapping the seat next to her, beckoning him over. Ash felt himself blush, and grinned before making his way over to sit with Misty. He sat down next to his childhood friend and turned to face her.

"Nobody is sitting with the birthday girl?" he asked cheekily. Misty laughed, and Ash felt his heart flutter; "Wow, she's really cute" he thought to himself.

"I saved it especially for you!" She gave him a playful punch on the arm. "It's been so long since we last saw each other, I've wanted to talk with you one on one since we arrived yesterday but I haven't had the chance!" Ash chuckled, scratching his head awkwardly. "We have a an hour or so on this bus, I guess now would be the time."

Misty beamed a smile at him. "Soooo… what's been going on with you? Start right from the start!"

"Well…" Ash thought back to where he had last heard from Misty. "It was after the Lily of the Valley Conference, I lost in the finals to a guy named Tobias." Misty nodded, as Ash scratched his long scruffy hair in thought. "Cynthia came up to me after the tournament was over and offered me a chance to train with her at her Undella Town Villa, in the Unova region. I was there for a year, and i learnt a lot. I trained nearly every day, Cynthia was a great teacher. After 1 year was up, I decided to make my way back to Kanto to see Mom. Of course, I took a slight detour over a few months. I caught all sorts of new Pokemon too. I also got into a few interesting adventures…" Misty raised her eyebrow, and Ash laughed sheepishly, looking at Pikachu who lay asleep on his lap. "… I may have to tell you those stories another time. Anyway, on my detour home I met up with a lot of different people, including Paul, Brock and Gary. Gary and Paul had both won the Pokemon League, so I entered. And I won." Misty's jaw dropped.

"Wait a minute! All 3 have you have won the Pokemon League?!"

"Yup!" Ash grinned, glancing back at his two friends who were deep in there own conversation.

"How had I not heard about this!"

"I was about to ask you the same thing! You were one of the only people I hadn't heard from.." There was an awkward pause. Misty's expression dropped slightly.

"Oh.. Ash i'm so sorry, I've just been so busy you know.." Her voice trailed off.

"So, what have you been doing Misty?"

"I've been living in Kanto still. I left the gym to my sisters to look after while I moved in with Leo."

"Who's Leo?"

Misty went a deep red. "Leo was a friend of mine. He had to go back home to Kalos to see his family about a month ago, I haven't heard from him since…"

The conversation seemed to end there. It felt immediately awkward between the two of them as they sat together in silence. Ash couldn't help but feel a little bit sick, and even more disappointed. He had been waiting to see Misty again for so long. He couldn't get his mind off of Leo, the guy Misty had been living with. He looked back at all his friends in the bus as they sat happily chatting to each other. Misty was staring out the window. A bright blue sparkling ocean had suddenly appeared on the horizon, and as the bus came to the top of a cliff face and began to descend on the main road towards San Sebastian, a magnificent golden beach emerged at the bottom of the cliff. The secluded bay was dotted with small little shops and towering palm trees. Small children ran up and down the road, playing with their Pokemon. The bus pulled up and the group piled out, in awe of their beautiful exotic location.

Brock straightened out his hawaiian shirt and smiled. "Lets hit the beach! I'm so hot after that bus ride." Lucy smirked at her fiancé.

"Since it's Misty's birthday, shouldn't we do what she wants to do?"

Brock nodded in agreement. "Of course, you're right honey." May and Dawn chuckled.

"I don't mind guys honestly! It's only a small town, lets just do what ever we want!" Misty laughed.

"Okay, shall we just do our own thing? Lets say if we all get split up, meet at that little cafe in an hour or two, yeah?"

"Sounds good!" Everyone chanted. Brock and Lucy told everyone they were off for a swim, and headed down the little grass pathway towards the beach.

"I don't know about you guys but I need a drink of water. I'm gonna see if I can find a shop somewhere along the road. He turned to face the group. "Misty? May? Dawn? What are you gonna do?"

"I think we are gonna head to the beach too" Said Dawn. May nodded in agreement."

"Okay, i'll come and meet you guys down there."

Ash was standing opposite Misty. She hadn't said anything, and although she seemed happy enough, something seemed off. Whatever it was, it was very awkward around her at the moment and he thought it was best to keep his distance for a while. "I'll come with you Gary, lets go now i'm really thirsty." Gary nodded and quickly glanced at Paul. Paul looked at Gary, then at Dawn, and then at May. He hesitated, then joined the other boys and began to walk down the road. "We'll meet you guys down by the beach?" The girls nodded but didn't move as the boys walked off, Pikachu running ahead of them.

After a minute or so of walking in silence, admiring their surroundings, Gary piped up.

"You weren't going to come with us, were you Paul." Paul frowned.

"Gary I've never met Misty remember. In fact, when I met Dawn and May, I was a stuck up little asshole -"

"You're still a stuck up little asshole Paul."

"Shut it. What i'm trying to say is, I'd like to actually get to know them instead of always doing our own thing.

"So why not go with them?"

"Because I don't know them!"

Gary suddenly turned to look at Ash, who was being unusually quiet.

"You're awfully quiet Chump, and you were in quite the hurry to get going. What happened?"

Ash looked up and just shrugged, slightly embarrassed to be feeling upset.

"Let me guess. Misty told you about Leo."

Ash was shocked.

"You know about Leo?!"

"Who's Leo?" asked Paul, confused.

Gary laughed. "Yeah I know him. I used to work for him."


End file.
